Serenade (2005)

Subdued and sweet in tone, Susan Hoeppner's 2003 album Serenade consists mostly of gentle, meditative works for flute and chamber orchestra; the majority of these are extremely familiar classics, often found on greatest-hits compilations. The only breaks from the placid mood come in the lively arrangement of Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Ravel's seductive Pièce en forme de Habanera, and the faster movements of Ernest Bloch's Suite Modale and the Suite Paysanne Hongroise, Paul Arma's arrangement of the Hungarian ... Read More

Subdued and sweet in tone, Susan Hoeppner's 2003 album Serenade consists mostly of gentle, meditative works for flute and chamber orchestra; the majority of these are extremely familiar classics, often found on greatest-hits compilations. The only breaks from the placid mood come in the lively arrangement of Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Ravel's seductive Pièce en forme de Habanera, and the faster movements of Ernest Bloch's Suite Modale and the Suite Paysanne Hongroise, Paul Arma's arrangement of the Hungarian Peasant Songs by Béla Bartók. Otherwise, the program is dominated by peaceful or poignant fare, such as Fauré's Pavane and En prière, Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits, Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, and Rachmaninov's ubiquitous Vocalise, lavishly arranged for flute and orchestra by Kyril Magg. The Canadian Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Chosel Komatsu, is rich and resonant in its timbres, and quite luxuriant as a backdrop for Hoeppner's fluid and lovely lines. Yet the... Read Less